Camino de Santiago II, watercolor, 7x10 in.
Santiago de Compostela, in the NorthWest corner of Spain is a very popular town among religious and non-religious people. The walks through Europe, from Germany, from Italy, from France, from Portugal and from all corners of Spain, toward this remote corner of Spain, in the region of Galicia, started in the Middle Ages, when some human bones were discovered in the town, and believed to be the bones of this priest/saint. So the walks to Santiago started as religious, and now people from all over the world do a few miles/kilometers or hundreds of them, according to their faith, their desire to do the walk, their stamina and previous preparation, and the time they have allowed to do "the walk to Santiago". Along the different walks, as they converge in the town from the East and the South, you find refuges, and special bed and breakfast places, from simple to more elaborate and comfortable, for the different economic level of the walkers. They all share a very friendly attitude, a kind and generous mind. A shell ("concha " in Spanish) is the symbol, which you see painted, or engraved, on walls, sidewalks, posts, or gardens and pathways along the route. Rest stops help the wayfarers regain their strength. Most of the road is beautiful!